The Home of Australian Craft Beer

Riverside Brewing Company Brewery

For many years western Sydney was regarded by craft beer drinkers as a barren land, not to be ventured into for fear of being left at the mercy of the mainstream. But when Riverside Brewing Company opened in Parramatta midway through 2012, everything changed. Not only did locals get a brewery they could call their own, they got a damn fine one at that.

Situated amidst a fairly standard issue industrial area containing trade warehouses of varying kinds, passers-by are given little indication of what's happening inside. But those who have ventured beyond the large roller door will have a vastly different perspective. There they will have seen the inner workings of a 2000L brewing system producing a fine range of ales, the likes of summer, golden, amber, pale, IPA and porter. Another 600L pilot system offers the chance for smaller production runs and to branch out with limited releases.

The hands that crafted Riverside's beers for its first three years belonged to Dave Padden, a long-time resident of the western suburbs and enthusiastic member of its associated home brewing society. If there was any doubt about an ability to transition from homebrewing to commercial brewing, it was flushed down the nearest drain shortly after the the brewery's opening as unrelenting demand for Riverside beer forced Dave to quit his day job and focus on brewing full time.

As a result – a very good one for drinkers – Riverside beer soon became increasingly available across Sydney as well as interstate (at least when demand allows). And for lucky locals wishing to drink from the source, fresh growler fills are available directly from the Parramatta brewery most Friday evenings and Saturdays.

At the end of 2014, Dave left to pursue new avenues in the beer world and Craig Deacon took over the reins, following stints at Malt Shovel and BrewPack, with Damian Iowa at his side. They have plenty of fine and popular beers to play with, not least the Sydney favourites 44 American Amber, 77 IPA and 777 Imperial IPA that polled a staggering number six in the 2014 Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll.

Having been isolated in the middle of a craft beer desert for so long, Riverside Brewing Company has turned Parramatta into something more reminiscent of a craft beer oasis.

Riverside Brewing Company Regulars

Robust by name, robust by nature, the Riverside '88' Porter is the Parramatta brewery's core dark beer offering. And, as with all Riverside beer, balance between the malt and hops is the key. With gorgeous rich chocolate flavours, this beer also retains a slightly dry bitterness and a certain degree of lightness for a six per cent drop. Indeed, the Riverside '88' Porter goes down so smoothly you'll be left questioning the concept of friction. On the brewer's recommendation, seek it out on hand pump…
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The gateway to the Riverside can be found in the Sixty Nine Summer Ale. It's pitched as an Australian summer ale and it's not difficult to see why; made with 100% Australian barley and hops, it's light and refreshing in character but manages to retain a notable fruity hop character. While designed as an approachable introduction for newcomers to the world of craft beer, Riverside's summer of 69 has also proven a hit with beer aficionados as a go-to warm-weather quaffer. It's that kind of wide appeal…
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Riverside's '33' golden ale is the Parramatta brewery's fusion of US and English pale ale styles. Much of the pleasure in this beer is the careful restraint in the hop balance; it has all the gorgeous, crisp hop flavours you'd want - as well as bursting citrus on the nose - without ever threatening to overpower the palate. For those times when a summer ale isn't quite enough and an IPA is a touch too much, make sure you're holdin' onto what's golden.…
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When Riverside brewery first knocked the cap off its beer for public consumption, the '44' Amber Ale was arguably the beer that won drinkers over with a single sip. It has a more-than-generous hit of American Cascade and Centennial hops which are exquisitely balanced on a big, roasty malt backbone. The deep brown colour, the bigness, the boldness; serve this up to a room full of beer lovers and there'll be smiles all round.…
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Taking its name from the beer's 5.5 per cent ABV, the Riverside '55' Pale Ale is a full-bodied beer that drinks like a absolute dream. More amber than pale in colour, the balanced bitterness comes from the generous late addition of Cascade hops which also provide an unmistakable citrus and tropical bouquet. That has created a beer that packs a big wallop of flavour but that manages to remain extremely clean, crisp and therefore rather moreish. At a time when it's fairly de rigeur to release a Pale…
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From the elephant on the label to the 7.7 per cent ABV which gives its name, simply looking at the Riverside '77' IPA gives you the impression of this being a big beer. And it is big; just put your nose in the glass and see if you can avoid being hit with the hefty punch of tropical hop aromas. But where the full-on hop aroma might seem to be preparing you for a beer of lip-puckering bitterness, some loving restraint in the hopping regime means the bitterness has been pared back enough to maintain…
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Rich Brown

Style

American IPA

ABV

7.7%

Riverside Brewing Company Specials

Tapped March 18th, 2016

It’s fair to say that 2015 was a fairly quiet year for the Riverside Brewing Company. After their co-founder and head brewer departed just before the beginning of the year, the business more or less concentrated on keeping things ticking over, bedding in a new brewing team, making slight tweaks to the core recipes and rereleasing a couple of old favourites. In terms of brand new beers, there was only the Tzar imperial red ale to report on. But 2016 already seems set to be a bigger year for the…
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Tapped July 30th, 2015

When a brewer leaves a much loved brewery, there’s undoubtedly a lot of pressure on the successor to step into the role seamlessly, maintain the quality of the beers and ensure things carry on as smoothly as possible. But from the new brewer’s perspective, along with that challenge there’s surely also a desire to stamp their own mark on proceedings. At Riverside, following the departure of brewery founder Dave Padden late in 2014, Craig Deacon and Damian Iowa stepped into the void to share…
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Tapped June 25th, 2015

Following the conclusion of the 2015 GABS festival(s), it’s no surprise to see several of the beers that made their debut there hitting bars across the country. What is a little surprising is to see one of last year’s GABS beers starting to hit taps too. To be completely accurate, it’s not the beer that was brewed for that occasion, but a new batch of the same beer: Othello’s Curse from Parramatta’s Riverside.
When you consider how well it was received on its first outing, it almost had…
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Tapped March 6th, 2014

At the tail end of 2013, Parramatta's Riverside Brewing Company quietly released a new beer. It was just a small test batch but, characteristically for the hop-heavy brewery, made up for it by being a very big beer: the '777' Imperial IPA. It was also notable for the disproportionately large impact it had on Sydney hop-heads, sending their hearts all a quiver and being lauded by the lucky few to get their hands on some. So it's very welcome news that the 777 has returned; bigger, with more bitterness…
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Tapped November 21st, 2013

When Stu McKinlay, one half of New Zealand's famed Yeastie Boys, was in Australia for Sydney Craft Beer Week he headed out to Riverside Brewing Company for a nap on the pile of malt bags and to help out on this collaborative brew. With Riverside's penchant for a generous hop regime combined with the Yeastie Boys' tendency to operate on the right side of left of centre, this was always going to be an interesting blend. And so we have Inner City White, billed as 'not your typical wheat beer' and a…
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Tapped November 6th, 2013

The last time Riverside Brewing and Cavalier Beer were mentioned together in the same sentence as the word 'collaboration', it was during Good Beer Week 2013. Back then the two were in direct competition with each other, having teamed up with the TimeOut magazine in their respective cities, Sydney and Melbourne, and brewed a beer that best represented their home. Bragging rights aside though, that the earlier competition was just a bit of fun and, as if to prove it, for Sydney Craft Beer Week the…
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Tapped July 24th, 2013

Has it really been a year since the Riverside Brewing Company opened its doors to the public? That is to say, has it been 'only' a year? In the past twelve months it's no exaggeration to say the Parramatta brewery has been going absolute gangbusters, with demand constantly outstripping supply and showing absolutely no signs of easing up. That's meant everything at the brewery has been expanding: more brewers, more brewing capacity and bigger bottling line. And now, to celebrate their first anniversary,…
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Tapped March 21st, 2013

The first official limited release to come from the Riverside Brewing Company is the Resurrection Ale and, quite aptly, it's been released just in time for Easter. So then, what to expect from the Parramatta brewery's first attempt at branching out? Will it be big and hoppy like some of their most beloved beers? Damn right! This has a substantial malt backbone balanced with a massive amount of hops (fans of the 44 Amber Ale and 77 IPA take note). There are two fundamental differences though; the…
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Rich Brown

Style

India Amber Ale

ABV

6.3%

The Crafty Pint is an independent online magazine and resource for anyone interested in craft beer in Australia. We bring an honest, old-fashioned journalistic approach to beer's brave new world, telling stories because they're worth telling not because someone is paying us to write them.

Like many of the people who have changed the face of beer in Australia, we believe in authenticity, integrity, enjoyment and love. We hope to play a role in helping good beer, brewed by good people, find its way into the hands of more drinkers.